5 Minutes of Fun

I know, I know. I basically took the summer off and still have to put up articles on my summer vacation BUT sometimes inspiration is what it takes to get things going.

As you all know, I love flying and most things to do with planes. Each year there is a HUGE show at OSHKOSH  put on by EAA. It's the MECCA of aviation and I have never been there... one of these days I will make it.

I ran across this AWESOME video by an 18-year old future Naval Aviator. James Perkins from Georgetown, Texas.  I have put it below, but to get the best effect you should go watch it in full screen with the volume cranked up. You can click here and then  click the full screen icon in the top corner.or just click on the play button below and then click again to go directly to YouTube to select full screen.. Enjoy.

Reflections on One Year of Blogging, What Next ?

Its now been 12 months since I started this blog. It was just a way for me to learn about blogging and testing some "cool tools" so that I could figure out how to incorporate them in my classroom. Like many things in my life, it didn't turn out that way. I did not use blogging at school and hope to try again next year, but I have LOVED the writing experience. Crafting sentences, articles and trying to keep things clever has been a real challenge for me, probably not one I have always lived up to, but I have tried my best. IT'S BEEN FUN. and I really enjoyed testing out and using some cool stuff like Animoto.Writing mostly about trips and family with a few teacher and school things mixed in has been great, but what next.

I will probably begin playing with some new tech tools like twitter (@stuartr52) ,although I still don't get it, and spend some of my Beach Break time in Del Mar thinking about what kind of things to write about. I have enjoyed it too much to give it up, but not sure if continuing writing about trips, family and school is the right answer. With my current readership, its probably the ok, but maybe I should branch out. Maybe even start a second blog on a different topic. I'd love to hear suggestions from my readers; email me here or leave a comment.

---

I have to finish up our last big trip blog (If you are impatient you can see my review here), but probably won't post the pictures until we get to Del Mar. Meanwhile we are heading to SoCal this weekend to move my darling daughter into her new apartment, so I'll probably write something about that as well, after that, who knows. Stay tuned.

---

PS Still no winners in the new tool contest. Its here as well.

Happy Birthday Harvey

OK, OK, I know its been a bit of a delay in catching up on my blog, but with a busy June now behind me, I am back and plan to catch you all up whats been going on, and by the way, I learned a new tool in a class I am taking this summer. I tried it out here. A prize goes to the first that can find it and identify it. Look away.

---

In Mid May, it was time to celebrate the newest member of the Octogenarian club- My Uncle Harvey. For those who don't know him, there is so much to tell, but here's a few key items:

He grew up in Chicago with my dad and Auntie Lynn (duh), at world famous Flornoy Street. Famous only because that is where they grew up and the family saying has become "just like Flornoy Street".

He was the first of the family to head west (smart guy) and stopped first in Albuquerque. He sold and serviced coffee machines at Sandia Labs, where he was advised to change his name from Rosenberg for obvious reasons. If its not obvious to you check it out here.

He then moved farther west and ended up in Los Angelas, where he still lives.

I will always remember our first trip to California to visit him and his family.

• He had a pool in his backyard, how cool was that.
• He was a pilot. Cool item #2.
• He took us to a mountain lake (Arrowhead) to go water-skiing- Cool #3.
• He was really buff Cool #4
  
• He retired early and took on a second career- Cool #5
  

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'll spell it out. I have a pool in my backyard, I am a pilot, I have a place at a Mountain Lake and I am in the middle of my second career. I am Cool, just like my Uncle Harvey !!!! (OK, 4/5 isn't too bad)

There are so many stories about my Uncle Harvey's escapades and "interesting" friends, you will just have to ask me about them. The one I will share is when Bonnie and I first moved to California, we went to LA and attended a New Year's party at his place. Everyone there was wearing heavy gold chains, open shirts and we felt like we were in a strange gangster world.

After he sold his coffee business, he invested in the Commerce Casino. He was on the board for many years and oversaw its growth from a small card club to the major casino resort it is today. He even has a section of the casino named for him- "Harvey's Corner". His second career was pretty cool, almost as cool as mine, although his was a little more profitable. Now on to the celebration trip.

---

All my best trips include the 3 F's; Flying, Food and Family. This one was no exception. Bonnie and I jumped in our trusty steed (airplane) and headed to St. George, Utah to pick up Harvey's sister, my Auntie Lynn and her husband, Uncle Tony. After a quick overnight we headed to LA for the party. Prior to arrival, I had heard that a famous Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich Shop (Portillos) had opened only a few blocks from the airport. For those who read my blog regularly, you know I couldn't resist, so after landing, off we went. YUMMMY. It was awesome.

Off to stay at the Commerce Casino Resort, Havey's home away from home and site of the celebration.People came from near and far to honor Harvey, including Daryl from Hawaii and Sheryl from Anaheim.


Daryl had flown in the night before and was hanging out at Sheryl's place, so we headed down to pick him up and revisit one of our other favorite food places, Rudabagorz, for a light dinner.

The day of the party arrived and after listening to stories of years gone by, we all moved to the party room where Harvey's wife Linda had set out a feast for all to enjoy, followed by a couple of wonderful comedians. Of course the highlight of the evening was my dad's speech about the antics they participated in as kids, followed by my brother Mark's speech. Me, I'm just too shy to speak out. :). Enjoy a slideshow below of some of the great pictures at the party.




The next morning the fog lifted as we arrived at the airport for our return home via St. George. Another wonderful family celebration. On  September 10th, 2010, my Uncle Harvey passed away. We will always remember him fondly. I am sure he is just hanging out at Flornory street these days looking for a card game.

---

Check back soon to learn the story behind the pictures below

Mothers Day and Memories

Bonnie and I decided at the last minute (what else is new for us) to take a quick trip back to Chicago on Mother's day to surprise her mother (Doris). The week before, Bonnie dropped a big hint (she left a catalog on my mail pile) about what she wanted, so on our next trip to the mail, the jewelry counter it was. Looks nice- huh?

We decided to take advantage of flying standby (Thanks to Daryl), so we jumped a quick flight on Friday morning, no muss, no fuss, and we were in Chicago, they even gave us the exit row, lots of legroom.We were picked up at the airport and then had dinner with Bonnie's sister Leslie and her husband, Harry..  Lake Superior Whitefish- Yummy. One of my favorites from growing up- and so the memories began. We then surprised Doris, she nearly fainted  and began a fun family and food (yes, my constant theme returns) Mother's day weekend.

We connected with Bonnie's oldest friend, Natalie, and brought the 2 mothers together for a fun lunch at Rise n Dine. Lots of talk about our kids and the food was great.  On the way home, I even found a place called Gator's, just like my school mascot. :)

 
Saturday night was a quiet night at Doris's place, some Italian Beef Sandwiches and more time with Leslie and Harry.



Sunday was the big day, Mother's day brunch at Becky's, Bonnie made her famous Zucchini Fritatta, Harry chipped in French Toast and Lox and Bagels all around. (not the best picture, but it will have to do)

I spent the afternoon fixing Becky's computer (what else is new), then we all walked over to Leslie's house for a birthday bash for Becky. (and I worked on Leslie's computer while I was there- what else is new)

  
We were supposed to head home on Monday evening, so we took a drive to my old neighborhood just to reminisce a bit. (I also had to pick up some more memory for Leslie's computer and there was a discount memory outlet in the neighborhood that I grew up in.) We drove by the house I lived in for most of my childhood, knocked on my old neighbor's door (Larry) and chatted for a while and then toured the old area. My elementary school had been turned into a police station and the new elementary school my brother went to that was only a few blocks away was now a parochial school for Muslims. Diversity has arrived in Morton Grove for sure.

Standby being what it is, the flights Monday night were all full, but no worry, plenty of room Tuesday morning, or so we thought. That night United canceled the flight- OOPS. All of a sudden, all the flights home were full. Luckily I found a US Airways flight connecting in Phoenix for only $150 one way per person. We arrived home in time for me to head to the Teacher of the Year Awards. All in all a weekend of fond memories and great family.

---

 

Coming Next,- A sweet trip to Saint George and LA to celebrate my favorite new Octogenarian.
   

 

---

Teacher of the Year

Before I start, I just want to remind all my loyal readers that I write for you. I love the encouragement you provide with your comments, but a few (OK most) of you are not keeping up your end. Red is doing a great job, how about a few others chipping in as well. Reading your comments inspires me to write more, so please take a few minutes to let me know what you think. You can be funny, serious or let me know what you liked on my blog. Keep your comments coming and I'll keep writing. OK on with my next topic- ME

---

This year, the teachers at my school, Garden Gate, honored me by selecting me as their "Teacher of the Year" . I never imagined that when I started teaching 10 years ago, I would be honored this way. I love working with the kids and all my colleagues. It's hard for me to believe I have been at it  almost 10 years. Like any award winner, I have so many people to thank. :)

First and foremost, my wife Bonnie, for putting up with all my schoolwork and even helping me grade all those States tests. To both Daryl and Sheryl for encouraging me to "make the change" and saying I should just "go for it". To Janice and Mariana for taking a "newbie" like me under their wing and showing me the ropes for so many years. Taking a chance on a "convert" to teaching who only wanted to work part-time was a big risk on their part and I really appreciate it. Having a principal like Nancy who has given me the freedom to pursue my "passion" of using technology (and data) to improve our school and my lessons has been a blessing and  having colleagues like Red that encourage me to try new things, and be more like Harvey Milk has kept me going when I wanted to just move on to another topic.

Anyway, enough mush, here a few pictuers from the award celebration at the district as well as the crown (thanks to Marty) and cake (how did Jill know my favorite) that the staff honored me with this week.

 My current 5th Grade team; Cris, Mariana, Me and Sarah. The other Sarah was sick.

Step Back to Colonial Times

On May 1st, the 5th Grade Teachers at our school, but on a full day activities for the 120 5th Graders at our school. Most of the students and all the teachers were dressed in Colonial garb and it was a chance for them to learn in a hands-on way about what it might have been like. There were 8 stations that the students rotated through during the day, including dancing with Ms. Alwell, a tavern hosted by parent volunteers, a classroom with subjects and games from Colonial times led by Mrs. Hastings, tinsmithing by yours truly, cross stitching by Miss Schwinge, quilling with Mrs. Lawson, candle making with our student teacher Ms. Linn and word turning with Mr. Wells. It was a great day for everyone. Below is a podcast I put together to show you a little bit and just because I love ANIMOTO videos, there is one below the podcast. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed the day.

Colonial Day Podcast

Click the play button, be sure your sound is on.

You may have to wait a few seconds for it to download

---

Colonial Day Music Video

How High Can You Go

On April 28th, I had the opportunity to visit Beale Air Force Base to receive training in high altitude physiology and take a ride in an altitude chamber. This class is normally reserved for Military Pilots, but once every few months they allow civilian pilots to attend.

I flew up to the base the night before (its near Yuba City, CA) with Ken Maples, my fight instructor. Before checking in to the hotel for a good nights sleep, we went to the local Sports Bar to watch the Sharks attempt their comeback against the Ducks. Unfortunately they lost the series as we all watched in vein. Very sad, but that's another story.

The training took all morning and part of the afternoon. Lots of good information on how pilots react in harsh (not enough oxygen) environments and the instructor did a nice job.

Beale AFT is also the home of the U-2 spy plane and the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft used in Iraq. We had a chance to see them, very cool.

The best part was when we all entered a large chamber, donned our oxygen masks and then pulled the air from the chamber to simulate high altitude atmosphere. There were 3 Air Force personnel in the chamber with us to be sure we all stayed safe.

After a series of simple activities, the took us up to 25,000 feet and we removed our masks. WOW, not much oxygen at 25,000 feet. The goal was that as soon as you felt ill, you were supposed to put your mask back on. After 2-3 minutes most everyone had put their masks back on, but I was still doing the worksheet they gave us (simple math problems, silly questions and a maze). Its important that you are able to recognize your symptoms with reduced oxygen and that is the purpose of this activity.

Unfortunately, after 5 minutes, I still felt fine and was told to put my mask back on, as it becomes dangerous after 5 minutes at that altitude.

What it turns out to mean for me is that I don't exhibit any obvious symptoms of oxygen deprivation and therefore need to be extremely carefully when flying above 12,000 feet. Even with supplemental oxygen, I need to monitor and be sure I am getting the right levels into my system as my body won't give me much warning.